The Madrid star had questioned Sane’s body language during the last international break but has since played down the assessment, insisting that things are fine between himself and the youngster.

​“It was forgotten that I praised him in the first three minutes. I couldn’t see that anywhere, but that was clear to me. I’m not stupid,” Kroos said during a press conference (via FourFourTwo).

“Back then I didn’t say that he doesn’t care. I said that sometimes it seems that he doesn’t care. You always have to be careful. I know that something like this gets interpreted in a negative way, but I don’t care.

“I have a good relationship with Leroy. Back then it was a pity that he had to leave after the first game. He played well against France after the substitution. He makes a good impression.

“I don’t need to repeat those first three minutes of my praise. I’m looking forward to playing with him for a while, because I know his qualities. And I’ve already mentioned that.

“Everything is fine. We don’t see each other that often, so it’s difficult to find a big change. But he doesn’t have to change much.”

The ​Citystar responded to ​Kroos’ criticism earlier in the week, claiming he respected the senior star’s opinion while also refuting the suggestion.

“If I play bad, then it’s not like I don’t care,” he told reporters. “I always want us to win our games.

“It’s OK for me that it might look different for other people. I also respect it when criticism is addressed personally. I’ll then try to work on it.

“I don’t have any problem with criticism. It’s an incentive to refine myself.”

Germany will play Holland in the UEFA Nations League this Saturday before facing off with World Cup winners France on Tuesday.